If you're a marketer who is looking at how to create more web traffic; or how to create more consumer engagement; or how multi-channel marketing can increase your ROI, it's well worth an in-depth read.

But for now, here are some top-line highlights - these are metrics you may not be receiving from your traditional media planner.

Australian retailers now have to compete on the world stage. And if you read the Sydney Uni research released recently, we've got a bit of catching up to do. I'll rephrase that, a lot of catching up to do.

Right about now, retailers around the world are planning their Xmas Catalogues. And some are planning not to have one at all. So what are the pros and cons of catalogues? Are you for them or against them? What's the risk of going all online?

For the past 30 years, printed catalogues have been consistently one of the most effective sales drivers for major retailers. Today's catalogues are much more likely to contain customer-engaging, rich content rather than just traditional product and price.

Despite the production process being improved in terms of efficiency, quality, and best of all, cost, some retailers are overlooking the opportunity to include this proven marketing tool into their new more digitally-oriented marketing strategies.

One of marketing's toughest decisions these days is choosing the right channel to place content into the customers' hands, none more so than the debate between digital and traditional, "old-school" media.

We've been helping Freedom produce sales-boosting, award-winning catalogues and content for over 30 years. While it is probably way too early to pronounce the demise of the printed catalogue per se*, online catalogues have certainly become an increasingly significant part of the catalogue landscape.